The Stuff What Actually Is
by J. A. Nunn
Publisher
GFB
Publication
Jun 03, 2025
Format
Paperback/Softback
Illustrated
No
Price
$19.95
Dimensions
5.5 x 8.5 in
ISBN
978-1-964721-4
ASIN
B0F19GCSX1
Pages
295
Age
Adult 18+
Category
Coming of AgeGeneral FictionHistorical Fiction
Rights Sold
🌍 World Wide Rights Available
Description
Author(s)
J. A. Nunn
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| Publisher | Girl Friday Books |
| Publication | Jun 03, 2025 |
| Format | Paperback/Softback |
| ISBN | 978-1-964721-4 |
| Pages | 295 |
| Age | 18 - 99 |
| Price | $19.95 |
Categories
Coming of AgeGeneral FictionHistorical Fiction
The Stuff What Actually Is
by J. A. Nunn
The moving story of a young British immigrant who, drafted after Pearl Harbor and stationed in the Jim Crow South, begins to question basic assumptions about his adoptive country—as well as himself.
It's 1942. Mervyn Gower, a college dropout and wannabe boxer, works as a locker boy at the Beverly Hills YMCA but trains under “Mugsy” Levine—part-time boxing mentor and full-time local gangster—at an LA gym closer to home. Despite Gower's desire to fit in, he is forced to compete as “The Welsh Kid” and sees being drafted as his chance to prove himself a “real American.”
Assigned to a segregated Army base in the South, Gower finds a very different America from the one portrayed in the movies. It's punctuated with “Colored Only” signs, civilians forced into internment camps, and better treatment of German POWs than of Black US soldiers.
Inspired by real-life stories and backed by author J. A. Nunn's thorough research, The Stuff What Actually Is explores the inner life of a young fighter as he recognizes the inequities he encounters, one bout at a time.
It's 1942. Mervyn Gower, a college dropout and wannabe boxer, works as a locker boy at the Beverly Hills YMCA but trains under “Mugsy” Levine—part-time boxing mentor and full-time local gangster—at an LA gym closer to home. Despite Gower's desire to fit in, he is forced to compete as “The Welsh Kid” and sees being drafted as his chance to prove himself a “real American.”
Assigned to a segregated Army base in the South, Gower finds a very different America from the one portrayed in the movies. It's punctuated with “Colored Only” signs, civilians forced into internment camps, and better treatment of German POWs than of Black US soldiers.
Inspired by real-life stories and backed by author J. A. Nunn's thorough research, The Stuff What Actually Is explores the inner life of a young fighter as he recognizes the inequities he encounters, one bout at a time.
Author
J. A. Nunn
J. A. Nunn was born in Pasadena, California. At a small Baptist college
struggling with social inequality in the 1960s, he earned a BA in
literature. After winning a fellowship at Southern Illinois University,
he received a MA in literature. Returning to California to teach, Nunn
lived in Berkeley, Pacific Grove and a few other California towns before
accepting a teaching position in Tokyo. While there, he switched to
marketing and was subsequently appointed Washington State’s Japan-based
trade representative. After a second career in marketing electronics,
Nunn retired to Seattle with his wife and their many memories.
Current Licenses
🌍 World Wide Rights Available